Air Force officials at Peterson AFB, Colo., have begun exploratory efforts checking out land for expansion, reports the Colorado Springs Gazette. The 1,200-acre base apparently is feeling growing pains, as the home for NORAD, US Northern Command, Air Force Space Command, and one of its principle subordinate units, the 21st Space Wing, and Army Space and Missile Defense Command, as well as Air Force Reserve Command’s 302nd Airlift Wing. Part of the problem, according to the base’s Blueprint 2050, is that Colorado Springs itself is slated to grow substantially and the base worries about encroachment. Already, it is working to solve anticipated traffic problems as the base more than doubles its population of around 12,000 over the next few years.
After years of experiments and tests, senior Air Force leaders say they're on the verge of using C-17s and other cargo aircraft to launch cruise missiles via airdrop, touting the development as a way to bolster the combat fleet and a major shift in the service’s mindset.